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Another semester over. Another twelve weeks of projects complete. Another three months of new information, new ideas, and new lessons to be learned. New friends to be made and new places to discover. This past semester was definitely one of my favorites so far, ranking up there with the first one I took, draping, and the Level Two drawing class last fall.

We were a big happy family, and a supportive one at that. The first week was full of nervous introductions, excitement over both the amazing spinny chairs, and awe of the bubbly professor we had. The second week had some solidly forming friendships and a more comfortable atmosphere. People were helping each other with the projects and sharing magazines, and everyone was starting to relax and have fun. Up until the hurricane, everything was great. Afterwards, everyone was so supportive, sympathetic, and sensitive. They were there for me when I almost cried about my chickens and listened when I needed to talk about what happened.

In the weeks that followed, FIT became even more of a safe haven for me. It became the place where I could get away from all the crazy happenings in Rockaway and the close quarters of my grandma’s house in Brooklyn. The girls in my class laughed and joked our troubles away, even if only for the few hours we had there per week.

We discovered our strengths, weaknesses, and talents beyond what anyone expected. Some people discovered hidden reserves of sewing talent just in time for their entrance portfolios, and others improved their drawings in leaps and bounds.

Personally, over the course of this class I discovered I can do anything. That there is more in me than I thought I knew. In the end, what is important will always work out. My drawings improved dramatically and I discovered a love for paper couture. I also made some friends who will last a long time.

So to everyone in my class, thank you. Thanks for dragging yourselves out of bed early each Saturday morning, to catch that bus or train for that ride you hate, and for taking the time each morning to dress up. Thank you to Professor Uvenio, who took the time to show me tiny little tricks with drawing that made everything so much better and for listening to my story the week after the storm. Thank you to everyone in the office for doing everything with the clothes and toys, and specifically to Ms. Nagel for telling me to work on my faces over the summer. I can’t wait for the spring semester!

First off, I’d like to apologize to everyone for my lack of a post last week. Super-busy with normal school and stuff like that.

Secondly, I found my portfolio. My record of everything I’ve done since before I started coming to Precollege courses. It’s great to be able to look back on it and reflect on everything I’ve done… I’ve gotten so much better!

It’s not bad to start with, but looking back on it, the heads are way out of proportion, as well as hands/feet…and the lack of faces.

The first course I took was draping. I can’t seem to find any photos from the class itself. However, I did make this dress (below) with skills I learned in that class.

I had Professor Gardner as my teacher. She taught me proper proportions, and introduced me to markers.

Between the first and second level drawing classes, I took sewing over the summer. Again, I can’t find photos (I’ll try to scrounge some up and then update this post xD)

I had Professor Urena who had me practice my croquis. This was Fall 2011. Each class I drew a new figure before break, and after break I added the clothes.

This was the first time I put together a cohesive collection (more than 3 pieces) with a recurring theme. This was based off the NYC subways, and my personal views of how beauty can be found in the least obvious places. The teacher was Professor King, and I learned a lot from her.

Then I took the summer off (I had another program and two weeks of camps), practiced my faces, and came back for FIT.

This is from the course I’m in right now, Anatomy of Fashion with Professor Uvenio. I feel like my illustrations have steadily improved with each drawing course dramatically.

Recently, I made a fanpage on Facebook to track my improvements and also to help promote my little business that I started up. The link to the page is here: http://www.facebook.com/EmilyDanaOriginals

So go check it out! There’s lots more up on there and you can really see an improvement in my work. These classes are absolutely amazing and a great way to get better.

Two weeks ago was Turkey Day. Stuff-your-face-day. Wear-yoga-pants-to-dinner-day.
Or you can just call it Thanksgiving.
This year, Thanksgiving was different for me. Usually I’m just happy there’s no school, and I get to sleep late, and eat stuffing. I love stuffing. But with what’s happened in the past month, this year, I’m thankful for my life.
The hurricane really changed a lot about the way I look at things, from a sense of entitlement to one of gratitude. Now I know what it’s like to not have hot water, to not have an indoor flush toilet, to not have a clean shirt… and it’s hard. It’s really hard. I really hope none of you ever have to experience it.
This year, I am so thankful for everyone that’s helped my family along, and everyone whose helped the other people that need help. For my grandma, who has graciously accepted us into her home, bought us clothes, made us food, (HOT FOOD), given me fabric, allowed us to completely disrupt her life. For my friends, who were there for me, for my new FIT friends who shared their supplies when I didn’t have. For Professor Uvenio, who magically procured some magazines for me, including the September 2012 Vogue (!). For my mom, and her quick thinking that saved the sewing machines, and for my dad, who has been working tirelessly to get everything OK again. For my little sister, who hasn’t driven me crazy yet. For my boyfriend, who has been an immense support and role in keeping me sane throughout all this. I’m thankful that Nugget, Parmesan and A-Train/Hawkeye/Bacon survived, and also Finnick the fish.
ALSO- I’m thankful my grandma likes to sew, and got Threads, Sew News, and Sew Beautiful magazines, and is letting me use them. And my uncle for hosting Thanksgiving at his house.
What am I wearing this year? Most likely a dark dress. One without a waistband…
What are your plans? What are you grateful for?

Class this past week was a blessing (a herd of unicorns is also called a blessing, but class this week really was like being in a herd of magical horses).
The moment I walked in, I felt like my life was picking up and moving on. My classmates were really supportive and made me feel a lot better than I had before. Professor Uvenio gave up his break to talk to me and listen to my story. He even gave me a glue stick to replace the one which got ruined in the flood.
After class, my family met me at THE BEST fried chicken place ever, Hill Country Chicken on West 25th and Broadway. I highly suggest you check it out. ALL OF THE FOOD is delicious. THEY HAVE PIES. AND MINI PIES. AND PIE SHAKES. Pies worthy of inducing a diabetic coma. Then we went to Goodwill, and got some clothes that we needed really bad.
Sorry if this post is a lot shorter than my usual one, and not as well written or thought out. I’ve been really busy clearing out rooms to live in, putting away stuff, stressing out over school… it’s a lot to put on a 16-year old’s shoulders. I’m thankful for all the things I do have, though. I’m thankful my fabric and sewing machines weren’t ruined. I’m thankful my entire family is alive and safe. I’m thankful that the illustrations I was working on weren’t ruined. I’m thankful we had a place to go, and I’m thankful my grandma took us in. I’m thankful for the amazing friends I have who’ve shared their clothes with my sister and me.
If you know anyone who’s been affected by the hurricane, ask them what they need. If they need clothes, my favorite thrift store (Goodwill) has a special for hurricane victims where they have $50/person (up to $250 per family) to spend on whatever they need. It’s not advertised, but you have to talk to the manager before shopping, tell your story, provide your name and address, and have them ring up your purchases. Here’s a link to an article from Glamour magazine on other ways to help: http://www.glamour.com/inspired/blogs/the-conversation/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-relief-ways-to.html
So next post will be back to scheduled programming along the lines of fashion and FIT. This hurricane’s thrown everything out of whack for me, and it’s taking some time to adjust to the new normal.
Did you get affected at all? What’s your story? How are you dealing with the after-effects?

I lived in Rockaway.
Last Saturday, I came home from class and photographed all my old illustrations. Put them back in a different spot than usual. Tossed my markers on my bottom bunk, put the 11×14 sketchpads on their shelf. Gloated over the deals I got on fabric for my Halloween costume… Didn’t give the weather a second thought. It was slightly cloudy.
The next day, I skipped Mass to help my mom clean up the backyard and move furniture upside down so it wouldn’t blow away. Then I went to babysit, and helped them do the same.
Monday came. The rain started. My friends and I started a “Hurricane party” on Skype. The water started coming down harder. Mom and I took a walk down to the beach. The waves were twice their normal height and foaming white, cresting multiple times and washing up to the sea wall. Foam sprayed the houses closest to the beach. My rain boots started to leak, so I went home. The rain fell harder and the wind picked up. Sewers began to flood. Water began to pool in the streets, and the ocean passed the wall. Sea level rose. And rose. And rose. Just before we lost power, I saw water in my back yard. A gushing stream, rising quickly. Then the lights flickered, and didn’t turn back on. The water kept rising. Candles were lit. And then the carpet started squishing under my footsteps. Water was coming in from under my back door. The only thoughts I had, honestly, were to get my fabric to higher ground, low-lying boxes of clothes and my leather boots to safety. It bubbled up from cracks between the floorboards long filled with dust. No sooner had the last box of fabric hit the top of my desk when suddenly, the water was up past my ankles. Disgusting, murky black water. While I was saving my fabric, my mom had gotten my little sister and Dad into the attic, and we spent the next ten minutes funneling pillows, blankets, coats, and pants up the narrow, rickety ladder. The water was up to my knees when Mom ordered me up the stairs.
We watched the water rise. Rise, ruining everything it touched. Paper, carpet, books, artwork. It asked not what it touched, only if it was in its way. We slept on the hard floor of the attic, the wind whistling around us, and the water rising.
1AM and I woke up. 3 feet of water stood still along the floorboards.
2AM, there was 6 inches less.
3AM, there was only a half- foot of water.
4AM, it was all out. Out of the house. There was still about 2 feet outside, and the back steps floated away. My mom and I conducted a rescue mission for the chickens… 2 of them had drowned. I wish all the best to General Tso and Marsala, and they will be sorely missed.
The next morning, we went down and saw the extent of the damage. Everything from the waist down was ruined. All my sweaters. Shirts. Boots. My sister’s entire closet. My mom’s entire wardrobe; my Dad’s. All of it. The washer and dryer. Couches. TV, wii, Guitar Hero controllers. My mom’s fabric. All of it. We have nothing now, besides for what we carried in desperate flight upstairs.
But we have it good compared to some people. While no, we can’t live in our house anymore, and no, the cars don’t work, the sewing machines were saved. My dad’s computer was saved. My dresses were high up enough to not be ruined. My family was alive.
Not everyone was so lucky. Wildfires blazed across Breezy Point, decimating over 80 homes with no deaths. The entire 400 block of beach 130th street was razed to the ground, and everything between beach 114th and 116th was burned to the ground. The beachfront properties, worth millions of dollars…gone. Destroyed. Entire porches, walls, rooms, gone. Washed out to sea. Sand, everywhere. Basements and garages, doors forced open…flooded. Cars found blocks away from their parking spots. Fish lying in the streets, and trash everywhere. One woman got swept out to sea and was able to fight her way back to the third floor of her house, another escaped from behind a floating dresser in a flooded basement. Others weren’t so lucky. A woman bled to death after a shard of glass from a blown out window sliced her neck open, and a man drowned in his basement after the water shut him in.
Cell phone service was out. Electric was out. People wandered the streets, looking for their friends. It was surreal. It still is. I’m finding it hard to believe I’m typing this from my grandma’s basement, and that we might be staying here for the next year. The house is inhabitable. There’s mold growing from the standing water and sewage coating everything. We have next to nothing.
Now I’m living in Sheepshead Bay, at my grandma’s overly cluttered house. She’s been a quilter, sewist, knitter, crocheter, chef, patternmaker and an insane amount of other things over her life, and once I finish clearing out spaces for my family and I to live, there are so many opportunities to learn here. Already, I’ve come across a veritable treasure trove of old issues of Sew News, Sew Beautiful, and Threads (all really good sewing magazines). While most of my clothes were destroyed, the generosity of people I hardly know is overwhelming.
Some places that need help still (in NYC) are Rockaway (whole peninsula, from Far Rock to Breezy) and Broad Channel. From experience, the Red Cross isn’t doing much. They need hot food and help getting warm clothes/building supplies/cleaning out their houses. If you want to help, drive down, find someone working in their house, and ask them what they need help with. Every little bit helps.
I honestly can’t wait for Saturday, for class, to put a sense of normalcy back in my life. I need it.

The street flooded, and the water was coming up to the grass on the front lawn.

Backyard. The steps to the back porch floated away

. My room. Everything from the waist down is covered in toxic sewage and seawater.

The infamous chicken coop. Got knocked off one of its support beams and leaned over during the flood. Thankfully, the side that had the perch built in was the side that got tipped out of the water. Sadly, my two favorite chickens did not make it.

Alternate view of the back yard

My Dad’s car. The water was at least over the hood, and it picked up a 4×4 left over from the coop and deposited it.

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